Chapter 661: Walk Forward

The entire Hui Feng Gu had sunk into a deathly silence; it was already time to light the lamps, and the scattered lights in the camp were lit, shining in harmony with the stars above like will-o'-the-wisps blinking in the dark night.

Gu Jiu Ling sat in the tent; Jiu Yue brought the freshly cooked hot porridge and several small dishes and placed them before Gu Jiu Ling.

These days, Jiu Yue's skill in preparing soups has become ever more refined; with Gu Jiu Ling's guidance from the side, it is a perfect blend of modern and ancient cooking techniques.

Gu Jiu Ling sometimes couldn't be bothered to cook herself; Jiu Yue's cooking suited her taste just fine.

At this moment, Gu Jiu Ling looked at the steaming hot porridge before her, full of rice fragrance.

He, however, had no appetite at all; he took only a few sips and then withdrew to the side.

"Where is the Prince?"

Jiu Yue's expression was somewhat complex as she replied in a low voice: "In response to my lord, the Prince… is still outside."

Gu Jiu Ling's hand holding the chopsticks froze in mid‑air; how long has it been?

From evening until deep night, two hours had passed, yet Xiao Yin still had people light lamps and lie prone in the valley bottom, gathering the remains of those who had died in Qi Sha Gu.

Gu Jiu Ling knew how arduous this trip was for Xiao Yin; having once escaped death after a life‑and‑death ordeal, when he set foot in this place again, a full nine years had elapsed.

From a vigorous youthful general to the present gloomy, ruthless, and terrifying cold‑hearted prince.

All along the way, Gu Jiu Ling felt stifled and wronged on Xiao Yin's behalf; now at last the injustice has been cleared.

Xiao Yin staying in the valley bottom to do these things, Gu Jiu Ling can understand.

But after all, Xiao Yin is flesh and blood; this part of Qi Sha Gu lies in the north, and at night the temperature is not very warm, even a bit chilly.

Who knows how long this life‑risking gathering of bones will continue?

Gu Jiu Ling slowly rose and stepped out of the tent; at the sight of the sky full of stars, she also felt a pang of sorrow.

Who gave her such a tragically handsome husband, forcing her each time to pull him back from that sheer cliff of ten thousand zhang?

Gu Jiu Ling had just stepped out of the tent when many people were already waiting outside.

Most were minor leaders of the Azure Dragon Army, plus Ling Feng's men; even the fierce one who had just been punished by Xiao Yin with private discipline, receiving thirty military strokes, came over limping, bowing low to Gu Jiu Ling.

Gu Jiu Ling hadn't expected so many people waiting outside; she froze for a moment, then gave a wry smile.

"What? You're all waiting here?"

Ling Feng's expression was also a little uneasy; he hurriedly whispered: "My lord, please go persuade the Prince; the Prince seems to have gone mad, his whole body hunched in the pit, refusing to come out, eating nothing, drinking not a drop."

"Now… only the Princess Consort's words might reach him."

Gu Jiu Ling steadied herself and silently cursed her mother.

The last time she and Xiao Yin had a falling out, and now she is again clinging to him; no matter how she thinks about it, it feels somewhat lowly.

But faced with this situation, she simply cannot shirk it.

In the dark, she felt that the man in the huge pit was her fated nemesis, and also the one she must redeem.

Gu Jiu Ling ignored the people around her, hurried a few steps toward the huge pit.

Ling Feng quickly led his men to follow; Yun Duo, with her agile build, reminded Gu Jiu Ling: "My lord, watch your step, it's slippery."

Yun Duo carried a wind lantern and walked ahead of Gu Jiu Ling, lighting the downhill path for her.

Even after nine years, this land remains barren, as if that fire had taken away all vitality.

The villagers who had previously cleared the remains here had long been sent back to their homes by Xiao Yin, leaving behind some gold, silver, and fine goods; surely their lives these past years have been somewhat better.

At this moment, the surroundings were garrisoned by Azure Dragon Army soldiers; Gu Jiu Ling reached the slope's base and waved to Yun Duo standing aside, signalling her to stop there and not follow further.

Yun Duo bowed to Gu Jiu Ling, then tightly gripped her wind lantern and stood a little to the side on the slope.

Gu Jiu Ling then stepped into that soft glow of the lantern and walked toward the nearby abyss.

At this moment, Xiao Yin was hunched over, his whole body nearly kneeling and lying on the ground.

He picked up the bones scattered at the pit's bottom piece by piece; after so many years, wind and rain had rotted them beyond recognition.

The bones were stained with the foul smell of death, making Xiao Yin unable to tell whose they were; still he earnestly lifted them from the filthy mud, wiped them clean with a cloth on one side, and placed them into a bag.

The venerable Prince Rui simply bent his waist and repeated the same task over and over.

Gu Jiu Ling's steps faltered, yet she still walked toward Xiao Yin.

At this moment, Xiao Yin was completely numb.

Time and space had long ceased to exist in his mind.

It was like a withered tree rooted in this scorched earth; although its whole body had rotted, its roots remained deep, unmoving.

Gu Jiu Ling did not go straight to confront Xiao Yin; instead she snatched the bag from his hand, endured the strange rotting odor from the soil, and squatted down.

She pulled the bag from Xiao Yin's hand, bent over to pick up the bones, and placed them into the bag she was holding.

The people standing at the pit's edge were utterly dumbfounded; they had originally hoped their own Princess Consort would persuade the Prince.

If a person is overly grief‑stricken they might really die; they never imagined the Princess Consort would go to the Prince's side, not only failing to dissuade him from gathering bones but joining him in the task, leaving everyone stunned and at a loss.

The heavens and earth grew ever quieter; aside from the rustling as Xiao Yin and Gu Jiu Ling bent to gather bones, all of creation seemed as silent as when heaven and earth were first split, bearing a weighty sense of history.

Finally Xiao Yin could bear it no longer; he drew a deep breath, seized Gu Jiu Ling's delicate wrist, and pulled her up.

"Go back! This night wind is bitterly cold; what if we catch a wind chill?"

"Either we go back together, or I'll stay here and keep you company," Gu Jiu Ling said, gazing firmly at Xiao Yin.

Xiao Yin drew another breath; the earlier tension had already dissipated like smoke, and in this world only the woman before him could endlessly test his limits.

His voice softened involuntarily: "Be good, go back."

Gu Jiu Ling replied calmly: "Either we go back together, or we stay together."

"Xiao Yin, I know you harbor hatred, I know you are sorrowful, but life must go forward."

"If you don't turn this page, if you can't get past this hurdle, you will remain here forever. Is that what those brothers of yours wish to see?"

"Now that the grievances have finally been cleared, we have invited a few monks to come here to perform rites for the departed souls."

"Let them be reborn soon, return to the proper path, and you too must learn to move forward."

"Only by moving forward can we see new hope."